Bears Are Still Fighting In Practice, This Time With The Patriots
(CBS) Just last week, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler acknowledged the team needed to scale back on the "dumb" physical altercations that continued to break out in training camp practices.
It doesn't seem like the message was fully understood.
During a joint practice Monday afternoon in New England, the Bears and Patriots engaged in a scrum that was sparked when receiver Alshon Jeffery and cornerback Malcolm Butler got into a skirmish that included facemask grabbing. It turned into a bigger scene of pushing and shoving. Of all people, it was Bears chairman George McCaskey who helped break up the Jeffery-Butler fight that happened right in front of him.
Jeffery sat out the rest of practice, while Butler was sent to the locker room.
"Protect our guy," McCaskey told the Tribune of why he hopped in amid the chaos.
Another smaller flareup occurred later during a field-goal attempted, with current Patriots and former Bears tight end Martellus Bennett getting into it with Bears edge rusher Lamarr Houston.
The Bears and Patriots will hold joint practices Tuesday and Wednesday before playing a preseason game Thursday.
Last week, Cutler chided the Bears for what he viewed as pointless fighting in practice.
"We're getting to a point where it's a tough team, I think," Cutler said. "We're now getting to the point we're where just being a dumb team. So we have to find that fine line of when we're being tough and when we're being dumb. I think we're right there on that edge, so now we have to start dialing it back and getting ready for games."